Social Media & Communications Symposium (SMACS)

Last Thursday, I attended the Social Media & Communications Symposium. It was the second one ever held at RIT, although my first time experiencing it. Put on by the Department of Communications, they brought in a number of different speakers that were all talking about social media and how it's constantly changing.

Considering my love for all thing social media, I figured it would be a perfect thing to go to. Luckily I only had one class that day so I was able to make to almost all of the sessions. They ranged from NIchelle Stephens talking about how she has a popular cupcake blog to Maggie Fox, the CEO of Social Media Group in Toronto and Clay Shirky, my personal favorite speaker of the day.

It was a great opportunity to come in and listen to some people in the business (as well as some RIT professors or staff members) talk about social media. Best of all, it was free to students! Just another one of the benefits of being a student.

My favorite thing from the day was the fact that everyone had a smart phone, ipod, ipad, or laptop. And everyone was talking actively on Twitter throughout the day. I think it actually added a lot to what I got out of the speakers (and let's be honest, kept me awake). It's interesting to hear what everyone else is thinking about what is being said right then. It is also pretty amusing to look around the room and see everyone's heads down.

If you're on Twitter, I suggest looking at the hashtag #smacsrit which was the offical one for the day. You'll be able to see some of the conversations that came out of that. Or you can read more about the speakers [here].

As always, follow me @RIT_Emily for daily shenanigans about life at RIT.